Recidivism of Sex Offendes Released from Prison in 1994

Assuming that the 209 sex offenderswho were rearrested for a sex crimeagainst a child each victimized no morethan one child, the number of sexcrimes they committed against childrenafter their prison release totaled 209.Assuming that the 1,042 non-sexoffenders rearrested for a sex crimeagainst a child after their release alsovictimized only one child, the number ofsex crimes against a child that theycommitted was 1,042. The combinedtotal number of sex crimes is 1,251(209 plus 1,042 = 1,251). Released sexoffenders accounted for 17% andreleased non-sex offenders accountedfor 83% of the 1,251 sex crimesagainst children committed by all theprisoners released in 1994 (209 / 1,251= 17% and 1,042 / 1,251 = 83%).Rapists and sexual assaultersFollowing their 1994 release, 1.4% ofthe 3,115 rapists (44 men) and 2.5% ofthe 6,576 sexual assaulters (165 men)were rearrested for molesting a child(table 34).Child molesters and statutory rapistsWithin 3 years following their releasefrom prison in 1994, 141 (3.3%) of thereleased 4,295 child molesters and 11(2.5%) of the 443 released statutoryrapists were rearrested for molestinganother child (table 35). For thereasons outlined earlier, these percentagesundercount actual rearrest ratesby a few percentage points at most.Each of the 141 released molestersrearrested for repeating their crimerepresented at least 1 child victim. Ofthe conservatively estimated 141children allegedly molested by releasedchild molesters, 79% were age 13 oryounger, 9% were 14 or 15 years ofage, and 12% were ages 16 or 17.Table 35. Of child molesters and statutory rapists released from prisonin 1994, percent rearrested for a sex crime against a child,and percent of their alleged victims, by age of victimTotalNumber releasedAge of child that sex offender wascharged with molesting after release13 or younger14-1516-17Number of molested childrenNote: The 4,295 child molesters were released in 15 States; the 443 statutory rapists in 11States. Because of overlapping definitions, all statutory rapists also appear under the column"child molesters." The approximate ages of the children allegedly molested by the 141 prisonersafter their release were available for 54.6% of the 141. "Number of molested children" was set toequal the number of released sex offenders rearrested for child molesting.*Percentage based on 10 or fewer cases.Prior arrest for a sex crimeagainst a childAll sex offendersAfter their 1994 release from prison,sex offenders with a prior arrest forTotal releasedPercent rearrested for a sexcrime against a child within 3 yearsChildStatutorymolestersrapists3.3%4,295Percent ofallegedly molested children79.2%9.111.7141The arrest responsible for theirbeing in prison in 1994 was — *Their first arrest for a sex crime against a childNot their first arrest for a sex crime against a child2.5%44330.0*%10.0*60.0*11child molesting were more likely to bearrested for child molesting (6.4%) thanthose who had no arrest record for sexwith a child (1.7%) (table 36).Table 36. Of sex offenders released from prison in 1994, percent rearrestedfor a sex crime against a child, by prior arrest for a sex crimeagainst a child and type of sex offenderArrest prior to 1994 releasePercent rearrested for a sex crimeagainst a child within 3 yearsTotalThe arrest responsible for theirbeing in prison in 1994 was —*Their first arrest for a sex crime against a childNot their first arrest for a sex crime against a childPercent of released prisonersTotal100%89.710.39,691100%94.35.73,115100%87.512.56,576Note: The 9,691 sex offenders were released in 15 States.*By definition, all sex offenders had at least 1 arrest prior to their release: namely, the arrestresponsible for their being in prison in 1994. "First arrest for a sex crime against a child"pertains exclusively to those released prisoners whose first arrest was the sexoffense arrest responsible for their being in prison in 1994.All2.2%1.76.4Rapists1.4%1.34.0Sexualassaulters2.5%1.96.9Recidivism of Sex Offenders Released from Prison in 1994 31